US President Donald Trump has said he is “seriously considering” making Venezuela the 51st state of the United States.According to Fox News correspondent John Roberts, Trump made this comment during a conversation on Monday. The comments come months after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured in a military operation earlier this year and an interim administration led by Delsey Rodriguez took power in Caracas.Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of bringing overseas territories, including Greenland, Canada and Panama, under US control. However, his latest comments about Venezuela have drawn attention due to the growing US presence in the South American country following the ouster of Maduro.The US has reopened its embassy in Caracas, while direct flights between the two countries resumed last month. US officials are also in talks with energy and mining companies as Washington increases its involvement in Venezuela’s oil sector.Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump described the US campaign in Venezuela as a “military genius.”“Venezuela is a very happy country right now,” Trump told journalist Sheryl Attkisson in an interview broadcast last week.“They were unhappy. Now they are happy. It is being run well,” he said.POTUS said: “The oil that’s coming out is huge, the biggest in many years. And the big oil companies are going in with the biggest, most beautiful rigs you’ve ever seen.”Trump also said that the US plans to take advantage of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.“We’re in the oil business,” he said, discussing plans to sell Venezuelan oil internationally following Maduro’s capture earlier this year.Trump later claimed that American oil companies were preparing to invest $100 billion to rebuild the country’s oil and gas infrastructure.Despite his comments, Trump cannot legally make Venezuela a US state without congressional approval and the consent of Venezuelans themselves.Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress in January that the US was not preparing military action in Venezuela, but Trump has continued to signal broader ambitions for the country.In March, after Venezuela defeated Italy in the World Baseball Classic, Trump posted online: “Statehood, #51, anyone?”Rodríguez has not announced a clear timeline for democratic elections in Venezuela, leading to criticism that Washington is more focused on energy and economic interests than restoring democracy.Jarrod Eggen, Trump’s top energy adviser, recently told Politico, “We are in a phase of stagnation.”He added: “And it’s really about pursuing energy deals and getting funding for Venezuela’s everyday activities.”